College Football Icon and Former Oklahoma Assistant Mike Leach Dies at 61
College football lost an icon on Monday night.
Mike Leach, offensive mastermind and larger-than-life personality, died following complications from a heart condition, Mississippi State announced.
“Mike was a giving and attentive husband, other and grandfather,” the Leach family said in a statement. “He was able to participate in organ donation at UMMC as a final act of charity. We are supported and uplifted by the outpouring of love and prayers from family, friends, Mississippi State University, the hospital staff, and football fans around the world. Thank you for sharing in the joy of our beloved husband and father’s life.”
Leach, the head coach of the Mississippi State Bulldogs, was 61-years-old.
Before his 21-year run as a head coach, Leach made a name for himself as a pioneering offensive assistant.
He started his coaching career as the offensive line coach at Cal Poly in 1987 before one year stints with the College of the Desert and the Pori Bears.
He then followed Hal Mumme and moved to Iowa Wesleyan from 1989-1991, and coached on staff at Valdosta State from 1992-1996, as well as a stint under Mumme at Kentucky from 1997-1998 where the duo helped cultivate their iconic air raid offense.
In 1999, Bob Stoops hired Leach as the offensive coordinator at Oklahoma, where Leach turned the Sooners attack into the top-ranked unit in the Big 12.
After one season in Norman, Leach was hired as the head coach at Texas Tech where he helped turn the Big 12 into one of the most wide-open offensive conferences in football.
Leach delivered nine-win seasons in 2002, 2005 and 2007 before thrusting the Red Raiders into the middle of the national title hunt in 2008 where he won three national coach of the year awards.
At Texas Tech, Leach developed quarterbacks Kill Kingsbury, Sonny Cumbie and Graham Harrell who all moved into the coaching ranks after their playing days had expired.
He posted an 84-43 record before turning around Washington State, where he finished with a 55-47 overall record in eight seasons.
In 2020, Leach moved to the SEC, arriving in Starkville with Mississippi State.
He finished 19-17 in three seasons with the Bulldogs.
Leach’s 158 career wins at the FBS level are the second-most among active SEC coaches and the fifth-most among active Power 5 coaches.
His coaching tree spreads far and wide and shapes college football every weekend.
Former assistants went on to be head coached in Lincoln Riley, Dave Aranda, Josh Heupel, Cumbie, Dana Holgorsen, Seth Littrell, Art Briles, Ken Wilson, Neal Brown, Eric Morris, Sonny Dykes, Kingsbury and Ruffin McNeil, and notable assistants include Bill Bedenbaugh, Alex Grinch and Wes Welker among others.
Leach and his wife Sharon raised four children: Janeen, Kimberly, Cody and Kiersten.
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